LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA)—Some 1,045 farmers and their families will benefit from higher yields and improved agricultural outputs with the aid of the Sulvec Small Irrigation Project (SRIP), inaugurated recently by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.
“It boasts a capacity of over one million cubic meters, which, if translated into practical terms, means a generous supply of water that can irrigate more than 700 hectares of agricultural land in 10 barangays in Pasuquin,” said President Marcos.
He emphasized, “Ang proyekto pong ito ay makakapagbigay ng patubig sa [higit isang] libong magsasaka sa lugar na ito. Kaya po ang mga magsasaka natin ay [makaaasa] na magiging mas maganda at marami pa ang kanilang aanihin.”
(This project will provide irrigation to more than one thousand farmers in this area. That’s why our farmers can hope that they will have a better and bigger harvest.)
This project under the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is the first impounding dam to be constructed in the province and costs P334 million.
Production of rice and high-value crops increased from P213,272.00 before the construction started to a yield of P390,292.61.
NIA Administrator, Engr. Eduardo Guillen said, “Now, we wholeheartedly take pride in this progress: the Sulvec SRIP project, which is part of the 10-year accelerated development plan for a Bagong Pilipinas and of the Build Better More program of our President.”
“The SRIP spans across 10 barangays in Pasuquin and aims to provide water supply that flows to the service areas to give bountiful harvests and livelihoods to the farmers and the communities,” Guillen said.
It aims to harness local water resources to efficiently irrigate fields across the barangays of Sulbec, Prataga, Nagsanga, Poblacion 4, Salpad, Susugaen, Nalvo, Estancia, Sulongan, and Caruan.
The components of the project include a 32-meter-high earth fill dam and its aperture structures, irrigation facilities: a diversion dam about 1.60 kilometers (km) downstream of the earth fill dam, a 4.74 km main canal, 20.91 km of lateral canal, and 15.78 km of supplementary canals, road structures, and terminal facilities, among others.
Marcos explained that aside from storing water for irrigation, two hectares of the dam’s reservoir will be dedicated to aquaculture.
The NIA is also planning to develop the Sulvec SRIP to accommodate a hydropower plant and facilities for recreation and tourism.
“Sa ating mga minamahal na magsasaka, kaagapay ninyo ako at ang buong pamahalaan ng Pilipinas sa pagkamit ng isang masagana at maginhawang bukas,” the president said.
(To our beloved farmers, I and the entire government of the Philippines join you in achieving a prosperous and comfortable future.)
Meanwhile, Santiago Baoec, president of the Namnama of Nagsanga Irrigators Association, expressed his gratitude to the president.
“I feel very happy right now because finally our irrigation system has been opened, and it’s been a great help for us farmers,” he said.
Baoec said, “Our president expects us to work hard to farm all the service areas of Sulvec SRIP so that we can achieve what our president hopes for us, which is food security in the Bagong Pilipinas.”
The farmer also expressed his hopes for such projects to continue to help farmers’ lives improve despite their small fields.
“If we can plant rice and other plants throughout the year, we are sure that our production will increase, and with this, we can help our families,” he said.
He also swore to reciprocate the support of the government by being earnest in working in their fields to help increase the production, not only of rice but of all kinds of crops. (AMB/ATV/PIA Ilocos Sur)
